DIY Condiments

Every few weeks I find myself placing red, yellow and white containers into my grocery cart. Ketchup, Mustard and Mayo are pretty much American staples – and according to the History Channel, 97% of American’s keep them in their kitchens. But have you ever wondered what was inside those containers? I took a look once and got grossed out by lots of names I couldn’t pronounce. I immediately started buying different brands than I had been, but it got me thinking. Could I actually make my own condiments? Would it be worth it?

Turns out, going all DIY on your own condiments is ridiculously super, super easy. And the results taste hundreds of times better than anything you can buy at the store. But that’s pretty much always the case, isn’t it?

Making homemade ketchup was very similar to making homemade marinara sauce, with a few minor spice adjustments, and then blending it until smooth. The result was a silky smooth sauce with a phenomenal taste!

Homemade Mustard was a fun recipe, too. You start with whole mustard seeds that you soak overnight. Add some more spices and blend it up, and let it sit in the fridge to mellow! The last step is super vital because at first the mustard is obscenely potent. But after a few days the mustard has mellowed to a pleasant and perfect mustard taste! I left mine kind of chunky and spicy, because that’s the way I like it. But if you want something smoother, add more water while you puree. If you want a more sweet/mild flavor, you can add more maple syrup.

The mayo was the one I was most worried about because it contains a raw egg and is classically a difficult sauce to make. However, I have found a way that turns creating your own mayonnaise a super cinch. Its pretty much no-fail! AND it takes less than 5 minutes. The secret weapon? A blender!

These condiment recipes are so easy to make, and so easy to customize to reflect your seasoning preferences! Have fun cooking!

Homemade Ketchup

by The Gingered Whisk

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Keywords: dip/sauce tomatoes American

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Ingredients (1 pint)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

28 oz tomato puree

½ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground mustard

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown (5-8 minutes).

Jenni lives in Des Moines, Iowa with her amazing husband, two girls, two dogs who think they are children, and a feisty cat. She is the creator of The Gingered Whisk, a recipe blog dedicated to finding easy, healthy-ish, and tasty weeknight meals that kids and adults alike will love. She is super passionate about helping every member of a family learn to love great food. When not cooking, eating, or thinking about food, she is often hiking around area parks, creating intricate legos castles with her girls, watching nerdy tv with her husband, or curled up in a corner somewhere reading a good book.

Wow I love this post! I love making my own condiments. I just made a post for Vegan Mayonnaise a couple weeks ago. I'm also like the other commenter….olive oil tastes great, but it always overpowers my mayonnaise when I make it from scratch. I usually use grapeseed oil because it's more neutral. These recipes look great.

About Me

Hey You! Welcome to The Gingered Whisk! My name is Jenni, and I'm an Iowa girl and a mom of two. I empower parents and kids alike to explore the world of food, to discover easy & healthy weeknight meals, & to become little foodies through creative culinary adventures!